Cook-out, wedding and cast free!

 This past weekend, I attended Sami & Irina Crisan's wedding in Sebis, Romania. On Thursday, I travelled with the Bunacius and Stocks to Almas. Almas is Oti Bunaciu's mother's home village so we went two days early in order to spend sometime with his family. Oti spent many summers in this villages with his cousins and maternal grandparents and was a wonderful tour guide of this rustic village. On Friday, Oti's family exposed us to a Romanian cook-out at its finest. There were micis (Romanian sausages), pork fillets, chicken, kebabs, home-fried potatoes along with some vegetables. Smoked pig fat is a popular cook-out food in this region of Romania so I proceeded to eat some melted over bread and it was delicious but probably not very healthy :).

On Saturday, we attended the beautiful wedding and reception of the Crisans. The wedding itself was gorgeous with loads bright flowers and precious flower girls. The wedding reception consisted of a 5 course meal complete with wedding cake served at midnight. During the reception, some of the guests played a game that was sort of like a scavenger hunt race meets musical chairs. For instance, if there were 10 guests playing and the first nine back to the chairs with a wallet that was not their own progressed to the next round. The loser had to do something for the couple during their first year of marriage and were assigned what to do (example: take them to a movie in April).

Since returning to Bucharest after the wedding festivities, I have been working on the documents to obtain a residency permit. Aside from doing paperwork and running all over the city with Mishi to get signatures and stamps for this, my Romanian language studies have taken high priority because of my increasing frustration with not being able to communicate very well with those I come in contact with. Today, for instance, I have spent about five hours memorizing the definitions and correct Romanian spellings for the hundred vocabulary words in my Romanian textbook for this week. Now it is time to get started on the grammar sections... joy!

This evening, I went to visit Nicu and his family because he had his casts off while I was gone to the wedding. He seems really happy to be able to move his legs again. His mother is confident that he will be walking well enough to return to school on September 12. Currently, he is walking with the aid of a walker but should be able to, according to the doctor, stop using that in a few days. I will be checking up on him as school approaches to see if he will in fact be able to come to school without physical aid.



The cook-out crew



Prayer Concerns:

- Nicu as he learns to walk flat footed for the first time & praise that he is doing well and has no infection!
- Faculty, staff and students of Ruth School (school starts September 12th)

- my residency permit :)

Chicken Salad+ Soccer Ball = Perfect Summer Afternoon :)

Well folks, I think it is safe to say that I am settled into life here in Romania. Things have been going really well and I have been keeping busy. Nicu continues to heal very well and is looking forward to getting his casts off towards the end of the month.

The Ruth School is getting ready for another fantastic school year. Our teachers come back to school next Monday and the students on September 12.

Also, I am loving my new neighborhood. Living in the school definitely has its perks. The students associate me with Project Ruth and everything that goes on here so I have quite a few friends to wave to and say hello as we pass on the street. Yesterday, I had a young man that had frequented our activities this summer and enjoyed a few games of football & snacks with Zach wait with me at the bus stop for ten minutes talking to me about school. We were actually conversing in Romanian which limited the conversation topics but it certainly nice to chat with him  :).

Zach's crew of boys ask where he is every time I see them. When I tell them, he is at home. They automatically think he is back in his room in Bucharest then I have to explain that he is at home with his family in Virginia. This typically brings great sadness yet yesterday I combated the sadness with their favorite lunch: chicken salad sandwiches and cookies. After lunch, I pulled out a soccer ball from my bag which made me almost as cool as Zach. It was a great afternoon. While I was watching the boys play soccer tennis, a young girl emerged from their house. Turns out the boys have several sisters which I am now starting to form relationships as I sit watching the boys play soccer.

This weekend I will be traveling to the northern part of Romania for Sami's, the youth pastor at Providenta, wedding. It will be my first Romanian wedding so I am looking forward to the new cultural experience and seeing Sami tie the knot :)

Please continue to pray for the students and teachers of the Ruth School as they gear up for the new school year.

Connect Four and Goodbyes

 

This past week has been a busy one full all kinds of activities. The high points of my week continue to involve visiting Nicu and his family. As I mentioned in my last post, board games and other activities have enhanced these visits quite a bit. Instead of sitting around with me speaking very badly broken Romanian, we spend the afternoon laughing and playing. The boys personal favorite family game is Rummicube but Zach and I still do not understand their 'interpretation' of the rules so Connect Four has been a huge hit. The boys quickly organized a tournament amongst the five of us and even allowed Alexis (their four year-old sister) to join in on the festivities. Nicu seems to be recovering fairly well and has little pain in his legs. His arm is still giving him a bit of trouble.

Several evenings this past week, Zach and I had the crew over for some soccer and hanging out. Apparently, they had never had chocolate chip cookies and grabbed them off the plate after consuming their first so fast that Zach didn't get any. Andrei was the first to notice Zach's empty hands and sad eyes which prompted him to quickly hand over one of his spare cookies. Following in suit, all the boys promptly shared an extra cookie with him. It was an amazing thing to see.

On Saturday, Zach and I went to visit Nicu in the morning so that Zach could say farewell to his friend. After visiting, we joined Ali to go pick her mom who is Romania for the week before Ali goes back to the States. We then visited an antique shopping for nifty souvenirs for Ali and her mom. After an afternoon of pursuing shops and Zach patiently walking along, we headed out to dinner with Oti and his wife, Cami. It was great to be around the table with friends and laugh over delicious food that I didn't have to cook :).

Sunday was church and Zach's last full day in Romania.  In between services we went to the big grocery store to get treats for Zach to haul home to his family and mine. Hopefully, both of my grandmothers will be able to sample the instant cake creme mix that I am currently using as icing, my dad will be able to have some delicious Romanian chocolate and my mom can munch on some paprika potato chips. After shopping, we had nachos for lunch using taco seasoning and Cheez-Wiz which he hauled over the Atlantic and it was so worth it! In the evening, Zach said la revedere (see you soon) to the boys who have grown so accustomed to seeing him on the street with soccer ball in hand ready to run and play all afternoon.

Early Monday morning, Zach headed to the airport after we said goodbye for a while. And I went back to bed because it was way too early to start the day. Zach has since arrived safely back in the States and is anxious to get back to Newbern to see his family. I have been busy working on school reports for all the students of the Ruth School and other various office tasks. Tomorrow, I hope to finish them all and possible visit some of the soccer boys. I can't play soccer like Zach can but I can certainly take a soccer ball along with some baked goods and spend the afternoon with some pretty awesome boys.

Thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement as I face each new day full of possibilities. My phone number on my contact card is wrong so if you would like my correct USA number please email me at Garton.Brittany@gmail.com.

Strawberry yogurt is my favorite!

It's official! Strawberry yogurt is Nicu's favorite surgery recovery food. Zach and I have been to visit him several times since he arrived home and he seems to be doing very well. On Saturday, he informed us that he has very little pain in his legs but is just tired of sitting. Boredom effects us all in the summer time when we try to stay out of the heat but this little guy is about to go crazy just laying around because he is use to playing futbol with Zach all afternoon. Tomorrow, I am going to try to go to a toy store somewhere and find some board games. These will be fun to take on our visits to Nicu and also probably will be very useful on many such occasions in the future.


Nicu - I don't have any pictures of him post
surgery because I didn't want to make his
family uncomfortable by taking pictures of their
home. Just wanted you to be able to see the
precious little boy you have been praying for!


Aside from visiting and taking Nicu & his family food, Zach and I have been involved with the local group of boys as normal. Zach has continued to play soccer and build relationship with these boys. A few years ago, I met a young boy named Robert and his brother. After talking to their mother for a while, it became apparent that she did not value education for her children and did not wish to send them to the Ruth School. Three days ago, this mother proudly informed Zach and I that Robert will be attending the Ruth School in the fall pending registration. We praise God for the fact this mother has begun to realize just how life changing education can be for her son!

In the office, Ali & I have been working on school reports for all of the Ruth School children which has been quite a task. I am so glad that Ali was able to help us so much :) This coming week, I will be finishing those and then exploring some new design programs for Project Ruth newsletters and other print formats.

Casts, new shorts and watermelon...

Nicu had his surgery! We arrived at the hospital about two hours after his surgery was over and he was still very sleepy. He seems to be in a lot of pain and winces fairly frequently. Please be in prayer for his healing process and his mom who is his caretaker and is broken hearted to see her baby in pain. She was very happy to have lunch. After we talked to his mom for a bit, we went to buy Nicu some new shorts,. You see, he has casts cover his feet to his upper thighs so his jeans wouldn't fit. So to avoid him being completely embarrassed when he woke up we headed to a second hand store for some new shorts. I purchased to pair for three dollars so that he would have fashion options.

After visiting Nicu, we headed to his house to check on his brothers because theynhad been without their mother for two days. They seemed to be doing fine but were all very concerned about Nicu. We talked to his dad and Zach will probably be helping transport Nicu home tomorrow by carrying him since they don't have access to a wheelchair. More updates on that when it happens.

This evening we gathered some of the children for a night of soccer, spaghetti and watermelon. The soccer ball was quickly kicked over the fence into a construction yard so my cooking process had to be accelrate quite a bit because without a ball little boys become very hungry and loud very quickly. So I boiled the noodles really really fast... After spaghetti and all the mess associated with consuming it, Zach and Andrei went to visit the man who sells watermelon out the back of his truck on the sidewalk in front of the bank. They returned home with a beautiful and delicious eight pound watermelon for just over a dollar. This melon was enjoyed by all.

That's all for today. Thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement for Nicu. I will pass on your love to him.

Hopefully tomorrow morning...

So today after making four calzones full of ham, cheese and veggies along with a loaf of zucchini bread Zach and I set out for the hospital to visit Nicu. Once we arrived at the hospital, I realized that I had little clue who to pronouce his last name and I am still not completely sure if Nicu is his full name. After some hand gestures, really bad Romanian on my part, and busting into some random hospital rooms, we found Nicu. He has not had his surgery yet. It was delayed until tomorrow morning at ten, hopefully. His spirits were good and his little face lit up when he saw Zach walk in the room behind me. We gave them the food unknowing that Nicu is not allowed to eat at all today. Whoops. We promised to visit tomorrow afternoon after his surgery. Our plan for tomorrow is to go the store early in the morning and get some supplies. nicu's family does not have hot water nor do they have money for bandages and ailments for his wounds. So we are going to buy an electric tea kettle very cheap here that can be used to heat water to keep his legs clean to prevent infection. We also might pick up a new outfit for him to wear home from the hospital because he is currently wearing jeans which will not fit over swollen legs. The social worker at the Ruth School informed us this morning that he desperately needs clothes. Tomorrow evening, it is our plan to take dinner to his siblings that are at home because their mom isn't there to care for them and we wouldn't want any hungry tummies.

Please continue to keep this family in your prayers and we will update you tomorrow :)

Nicu's surgery is tomorrow :)

A few weeks ago I mentioned a little boy named Nicu who has struggled with a physical disability all his life. He was suppose to have his surgery last Tuesday but it was postponed until tomorrow (Tuesday). Please be in prayer for him and his family as he undergoes this life changing surgery. Zach, Ali and I are planning on visiting him in the hospital tomorrow evening. This means that I will probably spend most of the day cooking and baking for Nicu and his family. I'll update this as soon as we know something :)

Thanks!